


Almost Lovers Always

by mousapelli



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, One-Sided Attraction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-08
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-07 13:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7716097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousapelli/pseuds/mousapelli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bokuto always meant to do something about eventually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Almost Lovers Always

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2016 SASO quote bonus round, prompt:
> 
> Goodbye, my almost lover  
> Goodbye, my hopeless dream  
> I'm trying not to think about you  
> Can't you just let me be?  
> So long, my luckless romance  
> My back is turned on you  
> I should've known you'd bring me heartache  
> Almost lovers always do
> 
> A Fine Frenzy

Not like Bokuto, in any universe, was a keen and subtle observer of human relationships, but he knew enough to know that the way he liked Kuroo was a different thing. It wasn't like how he liked Konoha or Sarukui or Yukie or even later like he liked Akaashi (and Akaashi could see practically into Bokuto's soul, so). From that very first sleep away training camp where the two of them had made themselves sick competing over who could drink the most milk, Bokuto felt different when Kuroo was around, immediately close, distance irrelevant. 

Bokuto thought about it sometimes, about telling Kuroo _Hey man, I think I might like you_ and _nah bro, like LIKE you like you_ and then just waiting to see what happened. They wrestled and slapped at each other enough for Bokuto to know what Kuroo's hands felt like, would feel like in his. Was that the thing he wanted, he used to ask himself, but the question answered itself eventually when Bokuto found himself instigating roughhousing on the thinnest pretexts possible. Over time _I think I might_ turned into _I definitely do_. 

He'd just never gotten around to actually doing something about it. He didn't think Kuroo would freak out, and he wasn't afraid of them not being friends. Bokuto was just happy, happy to see Kuroo whenever they could, during practice matches or on weekends they were both free. It was easy to get drawn into Kuroo's pace as soon as Bokuto saw him, and Bokuto always was one to get lost in the moment without too much thought. On the way home, in the quiet of the train, Bokuto would think, _Damn, I really meant to tell him this time_ and _I'll try again next time_. 

That was fine too, though. Bokuto was happy this way, not in a rush to get to some other stage when just seeing Kuroo made him this happy already. 

During third year, Bokuto didn't realize anything was different at first, occupied with the fun of playing and all his favorite people gathered together, plus a bunch of new weirdos who were clearly going to be his favorites too. It wasn't until the second night that Bokuto started to notice the way Kuroo's attention strayed consistently back to Tsukishima. His gaze, his conversations, they all looped back to that kid as if he were a comet sucked into a long but predictable orbit around a new sun. 

Or a moon, more like, Bokuto supposed. Also it was really not hard to see Tsukishima looking back, just because he wanted to look so unconcerned and secretive but was so terrible at it. He seemed pretty confused about it too, poor kid. 

"Hey, Bo," Kuroo said when they were taking the watermelon break, competing lazily over who could spit seeds the farthest, knees flopped companionably against each other. "Do you think…"

"Hm?" Bokuto asked when Kuroo trailed off. 

"Never mind." Kuroo's next shot was preoccupied and substandard. Both of them made a face. 

_Fuck it,_ Bokuto thought. "You should go for it." Kuroo blinked at him, and Bokuto nodded towards where Tsukishima was dumping his watermelon rind in the trash can, making faces at his hands. "He likes you too. Well, he keeps looking at you. He might be trying to kill you with his mind, I guess."

"He does not," Kuroo hissed, ducking his head. He glanced at Bokuto out of the corner of his eye. "Is he looking now?"

"Uh-huh," Bokuto lied. They needed all the help they could get. "That kid has no idea what he's doing, though. Are you sure you're up for that kind of charity case?"

"And how do you have any idea what he's doing?" Kuroo asked, eyebrow raised. 

"Because I'm an amazing training camp love cupid, of course!" Bokuto announced, instead of admitting that it was because as it turned out he was kind of a charity case himself. 

Kuroo burst out laughing. "You're a moron, is what you are!"

"NON-BELIEVER!" Bokuto hollered back, and then he shoved Kuroo off the step they were sitting on. 

They could still shove and shout at each other, Bokuto consoled himself. Nothing would change at all. He'd just keep hitting the ball that was in front of him as hard as he could and everything would work out okay. 

"Is that really okay?" Akaashi asked on the last day of camp, standing next to Bokuto, both of them watching Kuroo coax some intensely grumpy contact information out of Tsukishima. "If Tsukishima weren't such a tree, Kuroo-san would look like we need the neighborhood watch."

Bokuto swallowed at least three comments about climbing. He opened his mouth to shout something stupid, but then he looked and saw that Akaashi's eyes were sympathetic. He knew, of course Akaashi knew, because he was an amazing genius.

"AKAAASHI," Bokuto hollered melodramatically, throwing his arms around Akaashi's shoulders. "My best friend is abandoning me! You'll still love me, right?!"

"Seriously, Bokuto-san," Akaashi muttered, but he patted Bokuto's shoulder too and told him it would be all right. 

It was all right already, Bokuto thought. It would just take some getting used to.


End file.
